Cooperation or Competition? The American and French Foreign Policies in Africa (Cooperation ou concurrence? La politique africaine de la France et des Etats-Unis en Afrique sub-saharienne)

Abstract

Thanks to the technology and globalisation of our times, the rapid exchange of information today creates diplomatic and political relations that change faster than ever before. American and French foreign policies in Sub-Saharan Africa are simply a few examples of such relations amongst virtually thousands. The purpose of this research is thus to address the evolving relations of these two countries while answering the following questions: Will French influence in Africa', largely uncontested since the colonial period, be replaced by non-governmental organisations and/or American influence in the foreseeable future? Will the current trend of waning French power in the African region create further tension between France and the United States or will it enhance current levels of cooperation? And to what extent? Although this work is split into sections covering political, military, social, and economic topics, in reality it is impossible to make such distinctions. Clausewitz once remarked that, "war is a continuation of politics," but we might well add that politics are the continuation of economics and vice versa. Similarly, military interventions are oftentimes questions not only of security, but of foreign politics, and economic interests simultaneously. Nevertheless, in order to organize the research more clearly, we will address these aspects as individually as possible.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 26, 2005
Accession Number
ADA436220

Entities

People

  • Antonia R. Giraud

Organizations

  • Middlebury College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Africa
  • Agreements
  • Air Force
  • Commerce
  • Continents
  • Foreign Policy
  • Globalization
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Saharan Africa
  • Security
  • United States
  • United States European Command

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Economics
  • Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) EDI Research and Innovation.